Bleeder turbine



Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

' reins JOHNSON, OF SWARTI-IMORE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO ESTING-J'OSIAI-I F.

HOUSE EL SYLVAN Application filed April 2, 1923.

ECTBIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN- BLEEDERTURBINE.

My invention relates to bleeder turbines to provide, in con and it hasinter-stage val :5 tractile type, whereby a and economical valveoperation may secured.

Apparatus invention is i drawings,

tion, in which, Fig.

of a bleeder Inter-stage valve employed in f this character, an

nsible and conte passage area made in accordance with my llustrated onthe accompanymg forming a par 1 is a sec showing my impr lied thereto;and

taken along the line turbine t of this applica tional view oved Fig.

mechanism is ordinarily connection with bleeder tur connection is madebines where the bleeder with the turbine between the high andlowpressure sections such valve m the flow of section to thelow-pressure uniform a bleeder pressure tained as po steam ssible withand in bleeder demand. invention 15 to provide valve mechanism of thistype so cating area between sure sections which is economicalconstruction vention, I show ing or cylinder the energy-abstr pressuresection,

sure section,

hi h-pressure section 12 ve l ocity impulse st steam from charges steamt ing 16. A bleed cates with the turbin high-pressure section thelow-pressur means, at 18, sure section as to and to and prov from thestandpoint of operation.

accompanying draw-- thereof, the purpose of echanismbeing to so controlfrom the high-pressure section that as may be main variations in loadThe object of afford ample communithe hlgh and low-preside aconstructlon sof comprises a multiage 14, which receives the inlet 15.and which dise section 13.

o the stages of reaction blader connection 17 communr e casing betweenthe 12 of the turbine and Separating is shown between the low-pres 1.3and the bleeder connec time 17 and the high-pressure section 12, i saidseparating means including valve mechanism, which is thesubject of myimprovement and which willnow be described. v

The separating means, at 18, includes an annular member 19, whichissecured to the turbine casing 10 and which is provided with a hubportion 20 of channel-like formation. The'outer' side 21 of the hubportion 20 is provided with a valve seat 22, having ports or passages 28therein and the inner por tion 2 1 of the hub portion is provided withpacking 25 ofvany suitable type cooperating with the rotor 11 to preventas far as possible the passage of steam to the low-pres sure section 13other than through the ports 28.

A contractile and eXpansible valve member 27 cooperates with the seat 22to cover and uncover the ports 28. Lateral guides 28 and 29, preferablycarried by the hub portion 20, co-operate with the expansible andcontractile valve member to prevent lateral displacement thereof. A rretaining member 30 is carried by the casing, 10 and it is provided withinwardly-projecting ribs or bosses 31, which serve to limit outward orexpansive movement of the contractile and expansible valve member.

The contractile and expansible valve member is preferably made offlexible material, as illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2; however, it

i will be obvious that the expansible and contractile member maybe madeup of a plurality of sections hinged together so as to provide for theexpansible and contractile movements' The valve member 27 in Fig. isprovided with an intermediate hinge in order to permit of more readyexpanding and contracting movements.

The expansible and contractile valve member has one end anchored to thewall mem ber 21 and thefother end of such valve-member is connected to alink 33 operated by any suitable reciprocatory mechanism to secureexpanding and contracting movements of the member. The anchoring meansfor one end of the valve member preferably comprises a link 34,pivotally connected at to one end of the valve member 27 and having itsother end pivotally connected at 36 at the bottom of anoutwardly-flaring depression 37 provided in the outer wall 21 of the hubportion 20. This pivoted link construction for anchoring one end of thevalve member 27 permits of inward and outward movements of that end sothat it may be brought in contact with the valve seat and moved awaytherefrom to fully expose the ports 23. The link 33 is pivotallyconnected at 38 to the other end of the valve member 27 in order topermit of the necessary inward and outward movements thereof. From thestructure described, it will be apparent that the expansible andcontractile valve member 27-may be moved in wardy and outwardlysubstantially uniformly throughout its extent in order to control thepassage of steam to the lowpressure section 13.

While I have illustrated a contractile and expansible valve member 27which extends nearly around the hub portion 20, it is to be understoodthat any desired. extent of the valve member may be used so long as theends are spaced apart less than 180, so that the operating forcespresent may be utilized to secure controlling movement thereof. Insofaras my invention is con cerned, therefore, the valve seat may take theform of any suitable curve or combination of curves of finite radius.

Turning now to the reciprocatory mechanism for obtaining expanding andcontracting movement of the valve member 27 in Fig. 2, I show a relay,at 40, which includes an operating piston 41, arranged in the operatingcylinder 42 and connected to the link 33. A pilot valve 43 serves tocontrol the admission and exhaust of motive fluid to the operatingcylinder to secure reciprocatory movements of the piston 41 andexpansible and contractile movement of the valve mem ber 27 The stems 44and 45 of the operating piston and of the pilot valve are pivotallyconnected to a floating lever 46 and one end of the latter is pivotallyconnected to a link 47 carried by the diaphragm 48 of thepressure-responsive device 49, which has a' conduit 50 connected to thebleeder line 51, the latter being connected to the bleeder outlet l7. Inorder to adjust the desired bleeder pressure an adjustable weight 52 iscarrier by the floating lever 46 so that the force effective above thediaphragm 48 may be varied, thereby securing a variation in the steampressure effective below the diaphragm through the necessary operationof the valve member 27. I

From the foregoing, the operation of apparatus made in accordance withmy invention will'be apparent. The contractile and expansible valvemember is moved inwardly and outwardly to vary the passage of motivefluid to the lowpressure section 13 in order to maintain a substantiallyconstant bleeder pressure with variations in turbine load and in bleederline requirements. The necessary movement of the valve member to securethis result is effected by means of a pressure-responsive device 49associated with the bleeder conduit 51 and which acts through the relay40 to apply reciprocatory movements to one end of the valve'member 27.Vith a reduction in bleeder line pressure, the link 47 and the diaphragm48 would move downwardly, with the result that the pilot valve 45 wouldmove down wardly and motive fluid would be admitted below the operatingpiston 41 to move the latter upwardly in order to contract the valvemember 27and to restrict the flow of motive fluid to the low-pressuresection 13 which result in a tendency to build up pres sure, whereby thebleeder line pressure may bemaintained with an increase in bleederdemand or with a decrease in the power requirements of the turbine. Onthe other hand, with an increase in bleeder pressure, incident to anincrease in power requirements or to a decrease in bleeder demand, thepressure-responsive device 49 operates through the relay 40 to move thelink 33 downwardly with the result that the valve member 27 is movedoutwardly from its seat 22, thereby affording a freer passage for motivefluid to the low-pressure section 13, and consequently limiting theattainable pressure in the conduit 51. a

If, at any time, it should be desir d to change the bleeder pressure,this may be done by adjusting the weight 52. [mincrease in weight meansa greater force to be overcome by the steam pressure from the conduit51, with the result that a higher pressure may be maintained in thelatter,- while a decrease in the weight 52 results in adecrease in thebleeder pressure to be maintained. 7

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various other changes and modifications without departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed there upon as are specifically set forth in the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and a low-pressuresection a dividing member between the sections, a port in the dividingmember for affording communication between the sections, and acontractile and expansible member for openingand closing the port.

2. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and a low-pressuresection, a

dividing member between the sections, a plurality otp'orts in thedividing member for affording communication between the sections, and acontractile and expansible member for opening and closing the ports 3.In a bleeder turbine having a high pressure section and a low-pressuresection, a dividing aember between the sections, a plurality of ports inthe dividing member for atlording communication between the sec tions, acontractile and expansible member for opening and closing the ports, andpressure-responsive means for contracting and expanding said member.

l. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section, a low-pressuresection and a bleeder connection between the sections, a member forseparating thesections located between the bleeder connection and thelowpressure section and having a plurality of ports to affordcommunication between the sections, a contractile and expansible mem-,

ber for opening and closing the ports, and means responsive to thepressure in the bleeder connection for contracting and expanding saidmember.

5. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressnre section and a low-pressuresection, a member for separating the sections having a valve seatportion provided with a plurality of ports, a contractile and expansiblevalve member cooperating with said ports, and guides for said valvemember.

6. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and a low-pressuresection,

member for separating the sections having a hub portion defining avalveseat with a plurality of ports, a contractile and expansible valvemember cooperating with said ports, lateral guides for the valve member,and means for limiting expansible movement of the valve member.

'i'. In a bleeder turbine having a rotor having a high-pressure sectionand a low-pressure section, a member for separating the sections havinga hub portion defining a valve seat with a plurality of ports thereinand having an inner packingport-ion for cooperation with the rotor, acontractile and expansible valve member cooperating with the valve seat,means for guiding the valve member, and means for limiting theexpansible movement of the valve member.-

8. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and a low-pressuresection,

a member for separating the sections having acircumferentially-extending valve seat with ports therein, a flexiblevalve member cooperating withcthe seat, and means for expanding andcontracting the flexible valve member.

9. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and a low-pressuresection, an annular member for separating the sections and having aported valve seat por tion curved 'circumferentially with respect to theturbine axis',-and a'flexible valve member cooperating'with' said portedvalve seat portion and surrounding the latter.

10.'In a bleeder turbine having a high- 'a member t'or separating thesections and having a curved valve seat portion with a plurality ofports therein, a flexible valve member for opening and closing theports, and means responsive to pressure in the bleeder connection foroperating the flexible valve member.

11. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and alow-pressure section. a member for separating the sections an having ahub portion provided with ports therein for affording communicationbetween the high-pressure section and the lowpressure section, anexpansible and contractile valve member for opening and closing theports, means for anchoring one end of the contractile and expansiblemember to said hubportion comprising a link pivotally connected to oneend of said member and pivotally connected to said hub portion withinthe normal exterior surface thereof, and reciprocatory mechanismconnected to the other end of the contractile and expansible member.

12. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and alow-pressure section, a member for separating the sections and having ahub portion provided with a plurality of ports and with a pocket ordepression, an expansible and contractile member for covering anduncovering the ports,a link pivotally connected to one end of saidexpansible'and contractile member and pivotaliy connected to said hubportion within thepocket or depression thereof, andireciprocatorymechanism connected to the other end of the expansible and contractilemember.

13. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section and alow-pressure section, a member for separating the sections and having ahub portion provided with a plurality of ports and an outwardly-flaringpocket or depression, a flexible member for covering and uncovering theports, a link pivotally connected to one end of the flexible member andpivotally connected to said hub portion at the bottom of the pocket ordepression, and reciprocatory mechanism connected to the other end ofthe flexible member.

14. In a bleeder turbine having a highpressure section, a low-pressuresection and a bleeder connection between the sections, a member forseparating the sections locat ed between the bleeder connection and thelow-pressure section and having a hub portion provided with a pluralityof ports and an outwardly-flaring pocket or depression, a flexiblemember for covering and uncovering the ports, anchoring means for oneend of the flexible member and which is pivotally connected to said hubportion at the bottom of the pocket or depression, reciprocatorymechanism connected to the other end of the flexible member, andpressureresponsive means connected to the bleeder connection to controlthe operation of said 10 reciprocatory mechanism.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 16th dayof March 1923.

JOSIAH F. JOHNSON.

